Pierson-Betts House

Oskaloosa, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

The Pierson–Betts House is a Colonial Revival brick residence built in 1930 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, by Lewis B. Pierson, long-time Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at William Penn College. Originally intended as a retirement home for Pierson and his wife Lilly, the modest single-story house was instead sold to Laura Betts, the college's librarian from 1937 to 1942 and a rare example of an independent, property-owning woman among Penn's early faculty. Betts purchased the house with assistance from her elderly mother, who lived with her; after Betts's departure, other college faculty occupied the residence. The house's significance lies in its association with these two educators and their connections to William Penn College within Oskaloosa's Quaker community. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.